Troops Brutalise, Injure Fru Ndi In Coalition Demo

By Clovis Atatah & Kini Nsom

Anti-riot police and gendarmes, Tuesday, in Yaounde, brutalised and injured principal opposition leader, John Fru Ndi, and two Bureau Members of the National Assembly, during a planned demonstration to press government to computerise voters’ registers.

Fru Ndi was bloodied when troops descended on him with batons and rubber truncheons as he led the demonstration together with other members of the National Coalition for Reconciliation and Reconstruction, NCRR, members of the opposition bench in parliament as well as the leader of the Front for Alternative Forces, FAF, Jean-Jacques Ekindi.

The Chairman of the SDF, whose gown was smeared with blood, received injuries in his mouth, ankle and other parts of his body. Hon Pierre Kwemo, Vice President of the National Assembly, bled when he sustained an injury on his leg. Hon Awudu Mbaya, Secretary of the National Assembly, was also injured when the anti-riot troops brutalised him. Several demonstrators received injuries of varying degrees when the forces of law and order tried to disrupt the demonstration and disperse the crowd.

The injured opposition leaders received no medical attention as they were encircled by troops for several hours and deprived of basic necessities, including food and water.

Talking to The Post, Fru Ndi shrugged off his injuries as a price that has to be paid for the struggle for democracy. “I was not worried about the brutality because when I was going out, I was prepared for that,” he said.

Trapped!
Troops fell on the demonstrators at about 2.00 pm, Tuesday, while they were about rounding up their demonstration, according to opposition leaders. The troops met the banner-wielding demonstrators around the French Cultural Centre. The demonstrators, led by opposition leaders and MPs, were peaceful and orderly. But, when the troops attacked them, there was pandemonium as cries of pain and protests filled the air.

The over 250 troops, some with anti-riot gear and others with sophisticated riffles, successfully pushed back the demonstrators by a few hundred metres. Although most of the demonstrators, numbering about 2000, opted to stay with their leaders, brutal troops soon succeeded in pushing them away.
As the troops pushed the demonstrators away, they encircled the opposition leaders and MPs. The leaders were, therefore, pinned on one spot. Some of the opposition leaders who participated in the demonstration included John Fru Ndi, Sanda Oumarou, Issa Tchiroma, Antar Gassaguy, Jean Pahai and Jean Jacques Ekindi. Most MPs of the SDF, CDU and UPC parties, wearing their official tricolour sashes, also participated in the demonstration.

The Avenue Foch, where the leading demonstrators had been trapped, was sealed to all traffic of automobiles and persons. Even journalists were generally prevented from getting any where near the encircled opposition officials. Some reporters were even threatened with brutality. Shops on the street were prevented from doing business.

While the troops continued encircling the demonstrators, the opposition leaders and MPs tried to talk to them. Fru Ndi and Jean-Jacques Ekindi made speeches amidst applause by their colleagues. They told the troops that they were acting for the good of all Cameroonians. The opposition leaders pointed out that since the troops had indicated they were going to hold them hostage for one day, the demonstrators, on their part, were going to add one more day.

Human Needs
The standoff that lasted from 2.00 pm to a few minutes to 8.00 pm caused discomfort for both the trapped demonstrators and the troops. Realising that the demonstrators had, all along, been deprived of food and drink, a lady, at one point, took pity on the opposition leaders and went and bought mineral water. But, when she tried to take this to them, troops seized the water and destroyed it.

The authorities, too, made no provision for food for the troops. One of them pleaded with the Private Secretary of a prominent SDF official to spare him FCFA 500 for food. Other soldiers bought items like roast plantains and plums from kids who were watching the event from a distance.

An MP pleaded with the troops to let him go and relieve himself. When the troops refused, he forced his way through the human barrier mounted by them. Two other persons, who pleaded with the troops to go and answer nature’s call and were prevented, simply relieved themselves in the open air.

On the sidelines, the population had swelled to several thousands. They stayed by patiently and hauled insults at the soldiers for taking the opposition leaders and MPs hostage. At nightfall, the troops became desperate and tried to plead with the people to return home. The troops said they were tired and would not be allowed to return home if the people remained there. They explained that, if the crowd dispersed, the opposition leaders would be released and they, in turn, would be allowed to return home. But the crowd was not convinced.

The SDO for Mfoundi arrived at the scene and pleaded with the opposition leaders to accept for their drivers to come and pick them up where they had been trapped. The opposition leaders then accepted to return home.

Illegal Demonstration
The SDO of Mfoundi, Pascal Mani, had banned the demonstration, describing it as illegal. Talking to The Post immediately after the demonstrators accepted to disperse, Mani insisted that it was an illegal demonstration.
He said he was on tour and could not intervene earlier to let the opposition heavyweights return home. But he said the troops acted within their powers. “Troops stopped them because it was something illegal… The troops have to do their work. When you are [demonstrating] they will ask you to show your authorisation. If you don’t have it, they will block the demonstration and send you away,” he said.

Early on Tuesday, troops were already stationed around the Prime Minister’s Office, where the opposition had demonstrated the previous week. But organisers of the demonstration said the administration has always rejected their applications for peaceful demonstrations and they saw no reason to again go to seek an authorisation from the same administrators.

They said peaceful demonstration is a democratic right that should not be subject to the whims and caprices of administrators. “You have legality on the one hand and freedom and liberty on the other. We have used our liberty and freedom,” Jean-Jacques Ekindi said.

Computerisation
The demonstration was the second in a series of weekly demonstrations planned by the CNRR and FAF until voters’ registers are computerised. Fru Ndi told The Post that they are ready for presidential election to be postponed for a few months to allow for voters’ registration. He said if voters’ registers are not computerised, they will ensure that the presidential election does not hold.

Jean-Jacques Ekindi, for his part, said if electoral registers are not computerised, Cameroonians might be dragged into civil war.

Comments

[Kangha Adolf]

I was move, when i learned of this sad news. I couldn't imagine the chairman of SDF whom many cameroonians both here at home and in the diaspora regard as the natural leader of the people to be held hostage and injured. Just as pa said "Ni John Fru Ndi" it is the price he has to pay for seeking social justice and democracy; notwithstanding i regard it has a big blow to freedom fighters and to cameroonians of good will in general. That hand which is courageous enough to touch Fru Ndi should be warn in strongest terms. I wish that was in Bamenda they certainly would have had their own share istantly. They shouldn't feel because cameroonians have become silent and calm they can brutalise their leader and go free. Let Mr Biya and his troops know that nothing surely goes invain; they will one day pay for their crimes against humanity.

[Dr. Christopher Atang]

IT IS ABOUT TIME CHAIRMAN NI JOHN FRU NDI REALIZES THAT HE IS FIGHTING A BATTLE IN A FOREIGN LAND. HOW MANY TIMES WILL HE BE SHOWN THIS SIGNAL OF BLATANT REJECTION IN HIS CAPACITY AS THE "ENEMY IN THE HOUSE?"
COME ON PEOPLE, LET US BE REALISTIC!!! OIL WILL NEVER MIX WITH WATER. A WORD TO THE WISE IS ENOUGH.

[Teyim Denis]

biya and his troops have steped again on the claws of the tiger.they should remember that the title "NI" for Ni John Fri Ndi means wisdom to all Cameroonians in general and to Southern Cameroonians in particular.it will not be too long when biya and his occupation troops will realise that the which us to be silent was because it was breastfeeding its young ones.A word to biya is enough.if he has ears ,let him sign for compurised voters registration.

[Teyim Denis]

biya and his troops have steped again on the claws of the tiger.they should remember that the title "NI" for Ni John Fri Ndi means wisdom to all Cameroonians in general and to Southern Cameroonians in particular.it will not be too long when biya and his occupation troops will realise that the which us to be silent was because it was breastfeeding its young ones.A word to biya is enough.if he has ears ,let him sign for compurised voters registration.Ni John we all love you for that blood you shed everyday for us is for us the JESUS' blood shed on the cross.

[Nkamongwa FONKAM]

Horrible!The Biya's tugs should not forget that they have touched the rightful president of cameroon.I begin to wonder what would become of this so called SDO and his illitrate tugs when bald head Biya will go.If not by death then by other means.These tugs even forget to think they have got children who have a black future like some of us.It is time, men,we begin preparing our rubber-guns and making our local weapons to face these tugs.Enough is enough.Thanks to the local pop,or the story would have been more tragedic today.I really regret.MPS even tortured by tugs, something to laugh and cry but it is a pitty and a disgrace.This shows how the Biya purgatory system is ran.We,the NPRR should go ahead remembering that people are not only remember for what they did but how they did it.

[Victor Tufoin]

Why are Southern Cameroonians still acting like beggers? What part of "NO", "REJECTION", and "NOT WANTED" don't we understand? The only thing "La Republic du Cameroon" wants is our resources. NO
Southern Cameroonian will ever be president in "La Republic. Please stop waisting time. Let's take this same energy and fight for the restoration of Southern Cameroon. Let's be real.
LEADERS DON'T BEG AND BEGGERS DON'T LEAD

[Valentine Ngwa]

The troops that dragged, kicked and locked up Nelson Mandela in the apartheid days were the same ones who stood still and greeted him as commander in chief some years later. The shaby treatment of Ni Fru Ndi and other opposition leaders in 2004 just goes to show that people in power (Vagabonds in power?) never learn any lesson.

[Simon,Che]

It is really a sad story when we hear that children have started laying hands on their parents.Those are signs that the world will soon end??Now I really remember the words of the lion:"To prepare for peace we must prepare for war". As one of the leaders rightly said, Civil war has just been declared in cameroon.

[arrey]

Pa Ndi take courage and take cameroonians to the battle field.This has taken long, and for how long are we going to wait for this nonsense to stop.

[Martinus]

The earlier Fru Ndi and the SDF realise that the way forward is TOTAL SECESSION for the Southern Cameroons the better for him.No way shall he realise his Ambitions in La Republique.
We are ready to come in and fight for our LIBERATION from the DIASPORA but we need the FIRE to be ignited.I am a Southern Cameroonian who has fought in LIBERIA and SIERRA LEONE.

[frinue f winifred]

"WE ARE A POOR MINORITY ,WE HAVE NO SAY CONCERNING OUR LIVES OUR FUTURE BUT THE TIME MUST COME WHEN WE WILL DEMAND FOR THIS" EVEN IF IT TAKES A DECADE IT WILL COME.TAKE HEART NI.WOE TO THOSE STINCKING FIRST SCHOOL LEAVERS WHO CALL THEMSELVES.THEY CAN NOT DISTINGUISH THEIR LEFT FROM THEIR RIGHT THEY ARE ROBOTISED.